No question about it, the choosing of the right doctor is a very big decision because you will want to select:

- A doctor you can trust with your health – and you can afford - A doctor you can choose not just because the office is nearby - A doctor who comes with a thumbs-up from a trusted source

Are you willing to do some homework?

​Checking for the Cigna Care Designation when visiting your physician to ensure your lowest co-pay is always a good idea and a valuabledecision-making tool you can use when it’s time to choose a doctor. New for 2018, if you choose a specialist that is designated, you will perhaps pay a lower copay for that visit (not all UMS plans have this feature).

How does a doctor earn the Cigna Care Designation?

Of course, quality comes first!

​

Cigna identifies the primary and specialty care doctors in the Cigna network who have treated at least 30 Cigna customers in one of the 21 specialties.

Cigna checks their education and board certifications.

Cigna also checks to see if the quality of their care has earned recognition from within the medical industry. For example, we consider two well-respected organizations, the American College of Surgeons and the National Council for Quality Assurance and their approved “quality” recognitions.

Where do I find these doctors?​To find a top-performing* doctor, go to myCigna.com and select “Find a Doctor or Service.” Once you’re on the online directory, look for the Cigna Care Designation symbol.

Get help choosing a hospital, too.

​Choose an in-network hospital that’s right for you. We review how successful a hospital is in treating 18 common conditions. Our ratings are based on actual patient outcomes, average lengths of stay, and average costs we gathered from outside sources. Hospitals that demonstrate better health outcomes at lower costs for one of the reviewed conditions earn our top rating – the Cigna Centers of Excellence designation.

The next time you visit the Provant Portal, take a moment to check out two features that can help you play a greater role in planning for a healthier and happier lifestyle.

It’s the one-two punch from Provant that offers up a Year Round Wellness Focus and the tools to encourage your progress along the track to fitness.

Year Round Wellness

Each month, your Provant Portal features a particular aspect of health and wellness.

This month, it’s all about nutrition and providing information on healthy snacking and the impact of nutrition on overall weight.There is nothing new about recognizing that a balanced diet is important to overall well-being, but don’t overlook the features of the Well-Being Center.

TrackersNothing derails a wellness plan more quickly than the feeling that progress is out of reach and that’s why tracking even the smallest gains can be invaluable.The Provant Portal features a variety of logging, planning, and tracking tools designed to serve you well on your journey toward fitness.

​For instance, the next time you are in the Portal, visit “Trackers” to see some of the options available to you. They include resources to log alcohol intake, food consumption, mood or emotional responses, sleep habits, hydration, and weight. Tracking and planning resources accommodate nutrition and physical activity levels and don’t overlook easy-to-follow instructions on how to connect your fitness device to these helpful functions.

​And, there are lots of ways for you to ensure that all of your effort and hard work are never lost or otherwise disconnected from your overall fitness plan.

So whether it is downloading the Provant App or connecting your fitness device to your account, there are easly-to-follow instructions on the portal so that you can harness all that technology to go along with all that energy!

Playing a greater role in your health and health coverage begins with a simple code

Here’s an important tip before you even pick up that first magazine in the waiting room.When you check in with the receptionist, make certain they understand that the purpose of your visit is for your annual wellness check-up and that the office should designate it with a preventive care code to ensure that Cigna is able to properly process your claim.

Be sure to double check when you settle your account upon departure. This is the best way to avoid any confusion when your physician files your claim with Cigna.Note:Yes, your preventive visit does satisfy your Level 1 incentive for optimum financial benefit in terms of your health premiums. CIGNA sends a file to Provant on approximately the 20th of each month showing wellness visits to be credited appropriately. The Preventive Care Form should be used only if you schedule your appointment close to the April 30, 2018 deadline to ensure appropriate processing.

Your preventive visit code isn’t the only way to make the most of your time with your doctor…

Stop and think about it, you may only see your doctor once a year, so making the most of that time is really important. This is especially true when you stop to consider that a Harvard University Study found that an average doctor’s appointment costs up to two hours of time when you factor in travel, paperwork, waiting, and settling your account. The time that you actually spend with your physician averages closer to twenty minutes.

So, be prepared with a list of your medications and keep in mind there are no dumb questions! Some things you should consider asking your doctor during your wellness visit:

What additional tests or screenings do I need? Your doctor may suggest certain tests during your annual exam. Don’t be afraid to inquire about the need to consider other risk-appropriate screenings that go beyond simple cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

And, don’t be afraid to re-think how you ask your questions too. For instance, instead of wondering whether you can get a flu shot during your visit, consider asking what vaccinations you should be thinking about given your age and state of health.​Is my weight an issue? Feel free to follow up on this very important question and if your physician suggests shedding some pounds, don’t be afraid to ask about specific ways you can go about it including suggestions on exercise and diet.

​Am I eating the right things? If weight or nutrition are identified as concerns, be comfortable asking about resources to develop healthier options especially if improvement is possible through adjustments in lifestyle choices.

A new treatment or prescription? What do I need to know? A new medication or treatment recommended by your physician should prompt questions on what to expect and he or she can explain reasons for the different approach, side effects, risks, and benefits, etc.

Where can I find useful and reliable health information? Understanding more about your health should not be left to the Internet where confusion and misinformation can prove challenging. Ask your physician what resources they might suggest to supplement what they are sharing with you.

What should you be mindful of or doing before seeing your doctor next? While annual wellness visits can represent an isolated preventive care experience, they can also be viewed as important milestones on the way to improved health and wellness. What to work on before your next appointment can be helpful in guiding progress before your next check-up.

​Is a follow-up visit a good idea? You don’t necessarily have to wait another year before visiting with your physician to monitor or otherwise address any health issues that you may be encountering.

Given the strong sense of community on the University of Maine at Farmington campus, it’s no surprise that a simple and innovative idea doesn’t have far to travel to gain immediate traction!

​That’s exactly what happened at the turn of the year when Bob Pederson, UMF’s Director of Student Development wondered aloud to his colleagues whether it might not be beneficial to explore ways for faculty and staff to shake off the winter cold, learn some new skills in the exchange and have fun in the process.

And, so it was that Fun, Fitness, Facts and Food was born. With Jim Toner, Director of Fitness and the Recreation Center and Mike Colella, Coordinator of Group Fitness, Personal Training and Wellness taking up the topic and reaching out to like-minded individuals, an imaginative and informative program was not long in the making.

Launching on Wednesday, January 17, the schedule called for a variety of activities, some of which were approved in advance as Community Events and suitable to satisfy requirements for employees to meet their Wellness Program Level 2 incentives.

Serving both physical and emotional wellness, the program offered everything from nordic skiing, Pickleball, a fitness workout, a volleyball challenge and a nutrition workshop to suicide awareness certification, improvisation, student support techniques, tips on how to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD), and “Safe Zone” training.

The three-day festival of wellness concluded with a free lunch courtesy of corporate partner Sodexo. Faculty and staff responded in strong numbers to the mid-winter program and the big idea-turned collaborative venture resonated with colleagues across campus whose testimonials suggest this has the potential to become an annual event:

“Great!”

“Had a fun time and was really executed well. Sessions were developed and implemented to support out various degrees of knowledge on the subject matter or activity.”

​“Just this week alone has shown me how important it is to take a step back and make time for my mental and physical health.”

To see the full schedule of events and those who collaborated to bring the program to life, please open the file of the celebration's agenda.

If you would like more information on how your campus can create its own unique approach to fitness, contact your Wellness Champion and learn more about Community Events and Multi-Session Programs in your 2018 Wellness Guide.

UMS Wellness

Dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date information regarding your health and wellness benefits